Thursday, November 7, 2013

Erika Knight Yarn Review & Giveaway!

Here we've got two skeins of Maxi Wool (100% wool, bulky weight) and one skein of the rather fascinating Fur Wool (97% wool, 3% nylon.) I nominated the chartreuse skein of Maxi as my test skein, and swatched that puppy up:

This stuff just screams "I'M WOOL!" It feels hearty and chewy and even has a little bit of a sheepy scent to it (which is a good thing!) It's not as soft as merino - few things are, after all - but it would be wearable next to the skin in less sensitive areas (or on less sensitive people.) With my baby-wimp skin I'd probably shy away from using it for a cowl, but for mitts or a jacket? Wonderful. As you can see from the swatch, it suits a simple stitch like garter or stockinette a bit better than cables, as it's a squooshy yarn rather than a pop-y yarn. I'm particularly fond of the garter.

The Fur Wool, now there's an interesting beast! I thought it would feel like the synthetic furry yarns of yore, but it doesn't at all. It's much more like petting an actual sheep! It reminds me of running my fingers through my grandmother's hand-hooked wool rugs. I didn't swatch it up, as I wanted to pass the skein to one of you without rumpling it, but as you can see from the projects on Ravelry, it very much looks like sheepskin (or perhaps... a poodle pelt? Heh.) I would describe as a luxury novelty yarn- it looks more hearty and chic and authentic than the synthetic stuff. It definitely feels more authentic, and is a bit less soft than it looks- this is another one I'd use on a less sensitive body part, or over an underlayer. I think it'd look great as a trim on some sort of accessory, paired up with the matching Maxi.

So now the fun part... who wants it?!?! You get one skein each of Maxi Wool and Fur Wool in the color "Marni" (the red shown above.) Comment on this post and tell me your ideas for using this cool furry stuff, and in a week (Nov 14th) I'll pick a winner at random! (Make sure to tell me how to contact you in case you win! Very important!)Thank you to Blue Water Fibers for providing the yarn for this review/giveaway!

i've been wanting to make a sheep or bear recently..but since the Fur Wool is hand washable, I'm assuming it would full, so I would do a tiny swatch to see what it looks like when fulled and then knit an item with the regular Full Wool and some fulled Full (say that a few times real fast! the color is beautiful, though and since my skin is sensitive to wool (but I FORCE it to be exposed to once in awhile), I would knit something that would not touch my neck. hmmmm those Russian cowls...where there are rings tangled together...

My next project is using some Colinette Point 5 that has been hibernating in my stash for almost a decade to make another http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/us/pattern.php?id=4267&lang=us of these vests but longer and with pockets. I was going to extend the collar, too, to make it wide and floppy, but if I won the fur wool, I would make the collar with this instead and maybe use the maxi wool (good yardage for a super bulky!) as an accent border for the rest of the sweater. (julianne on Ravelry)

that would make the best and most ridiculous slippers ever. on a less ridiculous but still awesome note, fox face. boot toppers would probably be the least ridiculous option and/or best looking option. thanks for the awesome give away! contact by any means via the associated google account!

a dear friend of mine goes by the nickname "mr. fox", as in the fantastic one. i've knit her a number of things over the last couple of years, and with the exception of a couple bow ties, they've all been fox-related. i'd probably knit her either an adorable stuffed sleeping fox (which hopefully her cats left alone), or a face mask since she's also a stand-up comedian and hilarious drag king who often uses costumes in her acts :)

Since it's colder in Minneapolis than even I was prepared for (thank you, Old Man Winter), I'm thinking leg / calf warmers (you know, for under slacks; not necessarily to the knees) and a very warm hat. Brrr, bring on the wool!

In case the sign-in goes sideways, this post is from QAGeek @ Ravelry.